352 Ornithological Notes. By George Bolam. 



frequenting one part of a wood for some time previously, and he thought 

 were breeding there. Another pair were said to have nested in the 

 " Maiden Chambers " wood at Lorbottle. Shortly afterwards, Mr Robin- 

 son of New Moor House, showed me the hole in an old ash tree near his 

 house, in which a brood of young had been reared that season ; and I was 

 told that nests had also been found at Brinkburn, where the tenant of 

 Healey farm had a nest and eggs, with one of the old birds, which were 

 taken there about fifteen years before. In Hepburn wood at Chillingham 

 a pair were also believed to have nested in 1890. 



In the beginning of November 1889, I purchased from Mr Thompson, 

 bird stuffer at Alnwick, a very fine variety of the Great Spotted Wood- 

 pecker, which had been killed in the Duke's Park about nine months 

 previously. It is a male in adult plumage, and has the usually white 

 shoulder patch, and the spots upon the quill feathers of wings and tail 

 of a decidedly orange colour, giving the bird quite a striking appearance. 



Hoopoe. Upupa epnpx, Linnaeus. 



On 8th November 1887 a Hoopoe was seen between Beal Station and 

 the " Half-way House," by Colonel Hill, the tenant of Lowlynn, and a 

 friend, Mr Longmore. The bird flew along in front of them for some 

 distance, frequently alighting upon the road, and several times allowed of 

 so near an approach that there could be no mistake as to its indentity. 

 Shortly after this the Newcastle Journal contained a notice of one which 

 had been seen for several days about Bamburgh, and which was shot on 

 the 16th Npvember by Mr W. Dixon of the Wynding ; and in the autumn 

 of 1890 another was reported to have been taken on the coast, between 

 Newbiggin and Hauxley, and sent to Mr John Hedley, West Wylam, for 

 preservation. 



Barx Owl. Strir flammea, Linnaeus. 



Was reported to be unusually numerous last winter in some of the 

 eastern counties of England, no doubt owing to an immigration from the 

 continent, and several specimens killed in North Northumberland came 

 under my observation. One was obtained at Lilburn Tower, another near 

 Fowberry Mains, and a third at Hazelrigg, all in the first week in 

 October ; and during the same month I examined one shot near Alnwick : 

 another was killed near Embleton about the beginning of May 1892. 



On 17th October 1889 I saw a recently stufEed example, which had been 

 killed near Hedgeley, and in March 1887 one captured at Hoppen Lime 

 Kiln. Three or four years before this a pair were shot at Etal, where 

 they were breeding in the old castle ; and in January 1887, and again in 

 the following autumn one was occasionally seen hawking over some young 

 plantations near Chathill station. 



